- Racial tensions and violence. What is happening to us? Why are we attacking one another? I had hoped after all this time, we had progressed as a civilized society where we talk out our problems and law makers create laws that enforce civility and fair rule of law.
- Looming nuclear war with Korea. Someone really needs to grab that sawed-off runt by the scruff and take away his toys. And someone needs to do the same to Trump.
- Is our free press being fair and balanced? No publication is perfect, but could certain media outlets be stirring the pot? Who do we trust?
- Will we wake up one morning and find ourselves no longer Americans, but Russians?
On the personal side, I have had to deal with changes in my job, my husband's downward spiral health issues, finances that only seem to get worse each day, and an increasing sense of hopelessness. Hence, my silence.
Everyday, I try to keep up with the news. Our sitting President, whom I refuse to address as such, appears bent on destroying our democracy. He is in deep with Russian interests and has recently shown a mental alignment with far-right ideologies supported by white supremacists and neo-Nazi's. Turns out, these people are a big part of his voter base. This is extremely frightening to me. Everyday, I ask, "How did this monster get into our White House?"
Thanks to social media, hate and vitriol are vomited by the minute. The anonymity of the keyboard give voice to the most ugly, cruel, vicious commentary. Things we wouldn't or shouldn't say to another person's face, are expressed online. The results are often tragic and violent.
A free press is vital to a free people. Too much power in too few hands is a recipe for disaster and our founding fathers knew this. They set up a government with three independent branches and created a Constitution that would not only protect our freedoms but grow as our country grows. Yes, there have been many stumbles and mistakes, but we should learn from these mistakes and correct them. Our press is no different. However, I want to beg our journalistic community to please report the news and the truth. I wonder if some of the divide is because the American people don't know who to believe anymore. I wonder if some of these media outlets, which are now corporate owned, are wishing for their independence back. How do we fix this? How do we report issues and events without personal or Big Boss influence? Not only is a free press our window to the world, a free press is supposed to get us talking about issues at hand. Difficult to do when someone is shouting you down.
How close are we to losing our country to a foreign enemy? Will it be a nuclear war where there are no winners or a political coup where the winner speaks Russian? Is everything our military fought and sacrificed for going out the window? Are we at the mercy of elite billionaires who only answer to greed?
I beg you, my friends, to pray and to voice your concerns to elected officials. We may be able to rescue our great country from the hands of those who wish to destroy it. But we must work together - all races, all creeds, all religions. Remember, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." (The Gospel of St. Mark, and borrowed by the late President Abraham Lincoln)
